Michael R. Barrick

When creating mummies the ancient Egyptians were careful to remove and preserve all the vital organs except one. They didn't bother to keep the brain since they believed it was an essentially useless organ responsible only for the production mucus. I'm wondering if the ancient Egyptians caught a lot of colds, because it certainly feels like my brain has become an essentially useless organ and I have no shortage of mucus.

This morning's interview was handled through the miracle of modern pharmaceuticals, but now that the pseudoephidrine hydrochloride has worn off I'm back to feeling like a large banana slug has nested in my skull. The interview itself went well enough, although not perfectly. I got the distinct impression that while I impressed one of my interviewers I may have intimidated the other.

The good news of the day was that there was a reason the wireless place wasn't responding. It turns out the person responsible for the hiring was away for the latter part of the last week and today (with this same cold, no doubt) and will be back at work tomorrow. Hopefully I can get an interview in the next day or two and with any luck have a job next week.

I gave the other recruiters calls today as well and have discovered by comparison that the person I am working with regarding HSBC and Infowave is considerably more useful to me than the others. I called the one that had contacted me about Houston. Apparently that job has been put on hold and she neglected to give me an update, likewise no answer from them on my TN visa eligibility (not that I didn't download the text of the NAFTA agreement and figure it out myself). The other guy who hooked me up with the schmoes at the funeral place didn't even return my call. On the other hand the one that got me the interview this morning and will get me the interview with Infowave (her name is Chantal) returns my calls and also calls me with updates to so I'm not just hanging in the dark. Looking for a tech job? By my experience so far Corporate Recruiters is the way to go.

I rejoined Corpgoth on Yahoogroups and posted a general question about the livability of Houston and got some immediate responses. It doesn't seem like such a bad place at all. The clubs are air conditioned and they have an underground tunnel system downtown so you can stay out of the heat. From the salary survey information I could find I am worth about $85 - $90K there. No state taxes, low income tax. At this point it is just a question of what kind of offer I will get. And of course I don't have the luxury of being quite as choosy now, thanks to the dot.bomb and the plummeting market.

It's a good thing I'm fond of cornbread.